Revolutionary Workers' Groups
Revolutionary Workers' Groups (RWG) were left wing groups in Ireland officially founded in 1930 with the objective of creating a Revolutionary Workers' Party. In 1933 they disbanded and established the Communist Party of Ireland.[1]
They had their headquarters in 64 Great Strand Street in Dublin, which was named Connolly House.
The RWG ran two candidates in the newly reconstituted Dublin City Council Elections in 1930. Jim Larkin, Jnr, was successful.[2] The RWG ran two candidates in Dublin in the Irish general election, 1932, Joseph Troy and Jim Larkin, Jnr. Members also ran in Belfast municipal elections: Tommy Geehan in Falls, and Phil Wilson and William Boyd in Cromac.[3]
The RWG was officially banned by the Cosgrave government in 1931, under the Coercion Act, along with 11 other organisations. The ban was lifted following the electoral victory in 1932 of Fianna Fail.[4]
In March 1933 the RWG headquarters was attacked by anti-communists[5]
Members of the RWG included many Irish communists such as James Gralton and Sean Murray.
In June 1933 the Communist Party of Ireland was formed and the RWG disbanded.
The group produced a weekly paper The Irish Workers' Voice, first issued on April 5, 1930,[2] with the Scottish socialist Tom Bell as its editor.[4] The paper went on to be a publication for the Communist party, and was consistently published up to 1936.
References
- ↑ The Communist Party of Ireland A Critical History, Part 2 by DR O'Connor Lysaght, 1976.
- 1 2 Communist Party of Ireland History
- ↑ 'The Communist Party of Ireland 1921 - 2011' By Matt Treacy, Brocaire Books, Dublin, 2012.
- 1 2 A history of the communist movement in Ireland - 1929-1941 www.communistpartyofireland.ie
- ↑ “Dublin ‘Red’ Headquarters Set On Fire, Twenty Injured In Riots”